Device for severing and retaining tickets.



J. O. PATTERSON. DEVICE FOR SEVERING AND RETAINING TICKETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAYB, 1909.

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Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

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FIG? I APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1909.

- WITNESSES:

PATENT JOHN C. PATTERSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR SEVEEING AND RETAINING TICKETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 28, 15911.

Application filed May 6, 1909. Serial No. 494,352.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN CUR'rIs PAT- 'IERSON, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and. State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Devices for severing and Retaining Tickets, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a convenient device, whereby a plurality of tickets, such as are commonly used in streetcars, or other conveyances, may be embodied in the form of a strip and individually severed by the collector, the cut-off portions being retained within a subjacent receptacle.

I will now proceed to describe my invention in a preferred form, portable in character, and adapted to be suspended upon the person of the collector, by means of a strap, but, it will of course be understood that the apparatus may be otherwise carried, or even permanently mounted upon a pedestal.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I, represents a perspective view of the exterior of the device. Fig. II, is a vertical central section through the same on a plane parallel to that of the approaching handles. Fig. III, is a vertical central section on the line III, III, and on a plane at right angles to that of Fig. II. Fig. IV, is a partial vertical section on the line IV, IV, of Fig. III. Fig. V, is a transverse partial section on the line V, V, of Fig. II. Fig. VI, is a detail view, in perspective, of the carrier for one of the severing blades. F ig. VII, is a transverse section on the line VII, VII, of F ig. II.

Referring to the drawings, 1, represents the casing of the apparatus, the upper portion of which is enlarged as shown, and which is rigidly attached to a handle or grip 2, of convenient size to be grasped by the fingers of the conductor.

3, is a horizontal slot (see Fig. III) forming an aperture of proper dimensions to conveniently receive a ticket strip of the desired width and thickness. Said aperture may be provided with an overhanging guide piece 4, having flaring ends, as shown, in order to facilitate the insertion of the ticket strip. 011 the inside of the casing, and immediately below the aperture 3, is a stationary shearing plate or blade 5, which is detachably secured to the front wall of the casing. Said shearing blade cooperates with a movable shearing plate or blade 6, detachably secured to the carrier block 8 (see Fig. V I). The block 8, is provided with guide lugs 9,. which slide in. vertical ,ways 10', formed on the opposite internal faces of the cusing, the block having preferably elongated guide pieces 11, to prevent rocking or tilting. Lugs 12, are i'noui'ited'upon the upper sur face of the block, to provide means for affording a pivotal connection at 13, with the operating lever 14, which extends out through an opening in the casing, and lies parallel to the grip 2, as shown. The inner end of said lever is pivoted to the casing at 15, and a splin 16, is provided to nor mally throw the larger end of the lever upward, thus raising the block. The blockis slotted on its under side to receive a stop piece 17, (see Fig. III), secured by means of ascrew 19, so as to be'adjustable with relation to the aperture, thus limiting the extent to which the ticket strip may be inserted. The block also has on its under side and adjacent to the blade 6, a cavity 18, of sufficient extent to receive the barbed end 20, of a vertical rod 21, suitably mounted at the lower extremity of the casing. The purpose of this barbed rod is to impale the tickets as they are severed and retain them in a position relatively remote from the aperture, so that they shall not obstruct the opening or interfere with the shearing ac tion upon succeeding tickets.

The rod 21, is mounted upon a block 22, rigidly secured to a slide-piece 23, which fits snugly within the lower portion of the casing, and rests upon the bottom 24;, thereof. Said slide-piece 23, is provided with lateral grooves 25, and 26. which respectively receive and engage with pins 27, and 28, mounted upon the inner walls of the casing, so that the slide-piece, carrying the rod, may be introduced and removed by .sliding it horizontally upon the bottom of the casing and when thus introduced it is prevented from tilting in any direction.

The rear face of the lower portion of the casing is made in the form of a removable plate 80, Fig. III), which slides in ways 31 and 32, formed respectively in the horizontal piece 38, which constitutes the lower element of the enlarged upper portion of the casing, and in the bottom piece 24, which closes the lower extremity of the casing. Referring to Fig. VII, it will be noted that said sliding plate 30, is provided at one end, with a lip 3st, which brings up against the proximate face 35, of the casing when said sliding plate is in its closed position. Said plate 30, also carries at one edge a projecting lug 36, having an aperture 37, which registers with a corresponding aperture 88, formed in a lug 59, which is projected from the side ll), of the casing, being preferably made integral therewith. The purpose of said lugs-with registering apertures, is to provide means whereby the sliding plate 30, may be secured in position and sealed by any convenient device of the kind employed for sealing receptacles of this general character. As a convenient adjunct to the ticket-retaining rod 21, or even as an alternative therefor, I may provide another retaining device, also shown in tie drawings, which is constructed as follows A pair of elongated latches 45, and 46, respectively, are mounted to slide horizontally in recesses 47, and 48, respectively formed within the side walls of the upper portion of the casing. Said latches are provided respectively with the guiding and retaining screws 50, and 51, which extend freely out through openings in the sides of the casing, so as to permit the retraction of the latches within the recesses and their protrusion therefrom without rocking or tilting.

Springs 52, and 53, respectively, are interposed between the walls of the casing and the latches, the inner ends of said springs being preferably seated within cavities formed in the rear faces of the latches, as indicated by the dotted representation of the end portions of the springs. Said latches are also pro 'ided with central recesses and 56, respectively, to permit the free pa sage of the guide lugs 9, on the carrier block, during the downward movement about to be described. The inclines 58, and 59, of the latches face upwardly, as shown, and are of such extent as to enga e operatively with the bottom edges of the carrier block 8, on each side, so that as the carrier block is moved downward by means of the lever 14, the edges will act as cams, and force the latches e5,and 4:6,outwardly,this movement continuing until the bottom of the carrier block has descended slightly below the lower edges of the latches. Upon the rise of the carrier block, the springs 52, and 53, tl11'OW the latches outward into their normal positions. 1 have also shown the device as provided with a bell, 60, and a hammer 61, and with a registering indicator comprised within the group 65, so that, if desired, the act of severing a ticket may be attended with the sounding of a bell and the number of tickets severed may be automatically recorded by the indicator. As these devices are common in bell punches and the like, and as I do not claim them herein, it is not necessary to describe either of them in detail, beyond stating that they are operatively connected with a moving element of the separating group, so that at each reciprocation thereof, the necessary actuation can be derived.

The operation of the device is as follows, it being supposed that the parts are all in the normal position and that the casing is sealed :A ticket strip 70, is inserted through the aperture 3, and pushed inward until its inner end brings up against the stop 17, which is adjusted at a predetermined point to limit the entrance of the strip beyond that portion which corresponds with asingle ticket. T he lever 1%, is then depressed, shifting the carrier block 8, downward, and causing the blades 5, and 6, to shear off the ticket from the strip. Immediately after the shearing action, the continued downward movement of the block forces the severed ticket downward and impales it upon the barbed end 20, of the rod 21, the recess 18, in the lower portion of the block permitting the end 20, to enter sufficiently for the purpose. If the latches Q5, and 16, are also employed (either alone or in conjunction with the rod), the same downward movement of the carrier block 8, will force them to recede into their respective recesses, so that the block can push the severed tic :et down past their lower edges. Hence, when the block rises, and the latches again protruded, they are above the severed ticket, and the latter is prevented from rising to a level where it might interfere with the free entry of the strip. Assuming however, that the rod 21, alone is employed as a retaining device, it will e seen that as each successive ticket is impaled thereon, it will push its predecessors downward and hold them in the same manner as letters are held upon an ordinary file, the barbed end 20, of the rod preventing them from ising to the region of the aperture, where they might interfere with the'entrance of the strip, or be engaged by the shearing cevices.

Assuming that the rod is employed, either with or without the latches, the tickets may be allowed to accumulate thereon until the lower portion of the casing is practically full, thereupon the seal is broken y the proper official, the plate 30, is slid out laterally, and the block 23, is withdrawn, carrying with it the tickets filed thereon. They may then be stripped off from the rod immediately, and the latter can be returned into position or the rod with the tickets upon it, may be retained for a convenient time, a duplicate being inserted in place of the removed one, and the casing rescaled for use. If the latches are employed without the rods, the casing is opened in the same manner as before, and the tickets, which are loosely held therein, can readily be removed.

The advantages of the above described device are obvious, the particular utility being that where street car conductors are permitted to receive either cash fares, or tickets, and the latter are sold at a reduced rate, a perfect check upon the actions of the conductor can be afforded. Thus, the cash fares can be registered in the ordinary way upon a conspicuous register provided for that purpose, whereas the tickets need not be recorded at all upon said register but, since the conductor is compelled to cut off the tickets, one by one, and, in the act of cutting, to deliver them within a receptacle to which he has no access, he cannot confuse them with the cash received by him, but must turn them in intact at the prescribed intervals.

Having thus described my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim broadlyadevice for severing a ticket,as I am aware that it has been suggested to employ receptacles containing an elongated ticket slip or roll and to provide cutting devices, whereby as the slip is withdrawn the tickets may be cut off in the desired numbers. Such devices however, only register the number of tickets sold, and not those received, and are not adapted for use under the conditions existing upon street cars. Furthermore they in no way serve as a check upon the conductor in cases where he is permitted to receive indiscriminately, cash or tickets, as fare, since it is obvious that he can substitute a ticket for cash, in making his returns. Furthermore, I am aware that it is not new to provide canceling punches, which, in the act of canceling the ticket, punch out a portion thereof, and retain the same. This however, does not attain the object of my invention, since such devices do not receive and retain the ticket itself, but only a portion thereof, and the ordinary use of the device does not compel the attention of the passenger to the transaction with the same certainty as is characteristic of the use of my invention. I obtain the desiderata, on the one hand, of noting the tickets which are received, as distinguished from those sold, and,on the other hand, of bodily retaining the ticket itself, as distinguished from a mere punched out portion thereof, thus facilitating the use of the device in connection with tickets sold in the form of strips, as is now customary upon street cars, and rendering the transaction much more conspicuone to the eye of the passenger than would be the case if the conductor merely went through the motion of punching a ticket.

I claim 1. The combination of a closed receptacle, having an elongated slot completely inclosed by the wall of said receptacle, said slot being adapted to permit the introduction of a ticket strip; a stationary shearing member adjacent to said slot; a movable shearing member mounted in a rectilinear guiding device and adapted to cooperate with said stationary member; means for actuating said movable member; means carried by said movable member for limiting the extent of introduction of the ticket strip and means for preventing access of the severed tickets to the region of the slot, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a closed receptacle, having an elongated slot completely inclosed by the wall of said receptacle, said slot being adapted to permit the introduction of a ticket strip; a stationary shearing member adjacent to said slot; a movable shearing member mounted in a rectilinear guiding device and adapted to cooperate with said stationary member; means for actuating said movable member; means carried by said movable member for limiting the extent of introduction of the ticket strip; and a barbed impaling device adapted to receive the severed tickets and retain them below the eX- tremity of the barbed portion, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a. closed receptacle, having an elongated slot completely inclosed by the wall of said receptacle, said slot being adapted to permit the introduction of a ticket strip; a stationary shearing member adjacent to said slot; a movable shearing member mounted in a rectilinear guiding de vice and adapted to cooperate with said stationary member; means for actuating said movable member; a stop carried by said movable member; and means for adjusting said stop at different distances from said slot, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a closed receptacle having an aperture adapted to permit the introduction of a ticket strip to a predetermined extent; a movable carrier block mounted therein and provided with a recess on its under surface; a shearing device carried by said block; an impaling device mounted below said block and having a point adapted to enter said recess; spring actuated latches arranged on opposite sides of the casing; means for causing the recession of said latches during the shearing operation; and means for actuating said block.

5. The combination of a closed receptacle, having a wall disposed in a plane surface, and having an elongated slot completely inclosed by said wall and adapted to permit the introduction of a ticket strip; a guide piece arranged upon the outer surface of said wall in proximity to said slot; a movable shearing member mounted in a rectilinear guiding device and adapted to cooperate with said stationary member; means for actuating said movable member; means carried by said movable member for limiting the extent of introduction of the ticket strip;

and means for preventing; access of the severed tickets to the region of the slot substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a closed receptacle having an aperture adapted to permit the introduction of a ticket strip to a predetermined eXtent; a shearing device arranged adjacent to said aperture; means for manually operating said shearing device; a re movable impaling device located Within said receptacle; a removable plate constituting a portion of the Wall of said receptacle adjacent to the impaling device; and means for permitting the securing of said removable plate in closed position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this thirtieth day of April 1909.

JOHN C. PATTERSON.

WVitne'sses:

JAMES H. BELL, E. L. FULLERTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

